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ITS FEATURES AND RESOURCES

24/8/2017

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THE KINGDOM OF GOD, ITS PEOPLE, ITS PLANS, ITS DYNAMICS, ITS RESOURCES AND ITS CHURCH ARE UNSTOPPABLE.
My statement is: The Kingdom of God, its people, its plans, its dynamics, its resources and its Church are unstoppable because they are rooted in, nurtured and protected by the power of genuine Kingdom beginnings. 
Being unstoppable is linked to beginnings. 
Paul wrote to the Philippians, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). He is unstoppable, and so will His work in us also be. And so will we be. 
It is absolutely mind-blowing that in the rst years following the liberation of the concentration camps, most of the greatest rabbis did not even mention anything about what had happened. Their focus was the future: weddings, children and children’s children, education and instruction. Not museums, but schools. 
My statement is: The people of the Kingdom are unstoppable because as Kingdom beginnings take place, their power is inside them and among them. 
Unstoppability develops as we discover, understand and align with Kingdom beginnings. The chapters 2 to 4 of the book of Matthew give us a detailed record of the beginning of the earthly life of Jesus, the Son of God. Even He lived in total dependency and with natural limitations, faced hidden barriers, but nevertheless undertook an aggressive undercover work with high-level political and religious persons; and God looked after Him, protected and led Him in phenomenal ways. Nothing stopped Him and the Father’s agenda and purposes. 
To be unstoppable is established inside us when we are introduced and instructed regarding our assignment – it is God’s mandate from the beginning. This assignment is what was given to Adam and Eve: 
  • to be blessed by the Father 
  • to be receivers of His Word 
  • to be fruitful and ll the earth 
  • to subdue it 
Unstoppability develops true breakthrough power when we are rightly trained, equipped, tested, empowered and commissioned. 

Unstoppability builds on the following: 

1) The centrality of the Son The power of Kingdom beginnings is what God has initiated through His own mandate according to His purposes. 
He does it in His own way and time. We must therefore understand and stick to what has existed from the beginning: God’s model. The ultimate goal is God’s Man as His representative and agent of change in His immediate environment (life and work) and in the life of the community and even the nation. Just forget “ministry” for a while. 
Jesus said in Matthew 16:15-18: 
He said to them: “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
And Jesus answered him, 
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For esh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” 
Jesus was fully aware that a major new Kingdom beginning had taken place. He received revelation from His Father, but now a man stepped into that dimension. A new era had dawned. The coming Church
will be made of people like Peter, and hell will rightly fear and be overcome by people like them (the Church). 
Jesus said in Luke 10:21, 23-24: 
In that same hour He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth...” Then turning to the disciples He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” 
Jesus was fully aware of a new Kingdom beginning. And He played a central role, to say the least. Just have a look at His “beginning” on planet Earth as it is recorded by Matthew. Then watch how His life, and even the end of His life, gravitated around Him. Even earth and hell were deeply shaken and a ected. 
This passage from Hebrews 1:1-4 settles the matter: 
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when 
He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 
We must prepare ourselves for the right attitude, reply and alignment as He moves forward and creates advancement for the Kingdom. When God opened the eyes of Stephen, he saw Christ standing, not sitting. It speaks about responsibility and determination. We might have become romantic through years of reading Psalm 23 about
“The Lord is my shepherd”. Maybe we read into something in the text, maybe we dreamt about a helper and carrier. He is those things, but He will take us to a place where we can carry the Kingdom without messing it up with our limited human thinking, hijacking it for sel sh plans, or even collapsing under its weight, requirements and agendas. He is truly the King of kings. Do what is necessary. 

2) An intentional and ongoing focus on God’s leadership and instruction Paul encouraged the church in Colossae with these words: 
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Col. 3:1-2 
The “seeking” and the “setting of minds” involve neither passive contemplation or silent amazement. They are for the purpose of instruction and corresponding alignment when we lay hold of it. This leadership and this instruction are to be protected from all that is inspired by self-centeredness and ambitious agendas. In this light, the centrality of the Son does make sense. And we begin to understand the reason for the strong words of Jesus: “Get behind me Satan!” Peter had come to realize the central position and role of Jesus, but then 
a few moments later the divine revelation was on the verge of being diverted by human rationalism. There was de nitely a need for the strong leadership of the Son and for His continuous and ongoing instruction to protect the emerging revelation and enable it to take root and form the person. 
For this very reason Jesus instructed the disciples to not rejoice
in what had happened, that the spirits were subjected to them or because of His words reporting that He “saw Satan fall like a lightning from heaven”, but to rejoice that their names were written in heaven, the place wherefrom they could expect further instructions for further Kingdom advancements. 
Psalm 23 is a passage mostly used when we go through demanding times and it seems that our resources are very limited. Aside from these instances, it is used at funerals. This psalm and the song 
“Amazing Grace” are quite similar in that sense. 
But does Psalm 23 only contain this type of message? Is it all about being carried by the Good Shepherd, about resting by the cool waters and being safely protected in the midst of our enemies? I don’t believe so. This interpretation has been mostly formed (distorted) by religious illustrations. It gives us the wrong picture of a sheep which is the
focus of all heaven and earth, and of multiple enemies. This is not the case. The focus is not on the sheep, or its di cult journey described throughout the verses. The focus is on what is mentioned in the
very last verse: the House of God. And let me mention my personal discovery, which might challenge most of you. What about linking the last verse of Psalm 23 with the rst verses of Psalm 24? More about this a little later. 
The rst point to remember is that Jesus is the Way. Love Him, walk with Him, trust Him, worship Him, and be changed in His likeness. This will lead to the second point, which is a question: What is the road, what are the elements of the journey? And that’s the issue where Psalm 23 helps us tremendously. 

So let’s study this psalm nr 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your sta , they comfort me, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Ps. 23:1-6 
“The Lord is my shepherd;” 
Our rst point was about the centrality of the Son of God and we nd it here already in verse 1: “The Lord is my shepherd”. It speaks loud and clear and removes all confusion about roles – His role and ours. 
Now let’s look into this “shepherd” title and have some deliverance – deliverance from religious distortion. What is the role of the Son? What did David see as he wrote these words? He saw a leader and instructor as well as a protector. The nature of His leadership is pastoral. The word “pastor” in Greek means simply a shepherd. Jesus is the leader, instructor and protector of the believer who is walking on the Kingdom road and taking the Kingdom journey to develop 
a life connected to Heaven like the Son had, and have in uence on professional and social environments as well as human situations like the Son had. What does “pastoral” mean? It means that He looks after me and my needs while I walk, while I am trained, tested, challenged, stretched and formed. This is the true context of His shepherd role. 
“I shall not want.” 
This simply means that every resource I need during this training process and spiritual education will be provided by Him. It’s not about my personal needs, even though He is great and generous enough to take care of those – even when we live our own life, by our own values, pursuing our own goals our own way, and making our own decisions. But here we don’t talk just about Christians; we talk about Kingdom believers. 
Why admit us into the school of the Spirit, the school of Kingdom representatives, without providing the materials and the means?
We need righteousness to not fall back into slavery and shame. We need peace – He is our peace. We need joy, because His joy will be our strength when the journey drains us. We must reduce sel shness to passive silence, as we let go of human skills, talents, tools and connections to receive new ones, better ones. Why should the coach of a team of marathon runners keep his theoretical knowledge and practical experience for himself? He will lead us and instruct us. 
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness, for His name’s sake.” 
The road is demanding; the process is challenging. Our emotions can swing, our thoughts can spin out of control. Our will can consider resigning. So our pastoral leader is looking after us and leads our emotions, will and minds in the right direction. He will not allow us to be deviated from our position of righteousness. We might struggle, but not as slaves; we do so as sons and daughters in the process of becoming heirs and kings. We might feel feeble, but it is temporary as we get stronger. Whether we fail or succeed, we are sons and daughters of the King, and we will represent Him in our professional and social spheres. We will minister with His resources in human situations and circumstances. 
“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your sta , they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;” 
Remember, we aren’t speaking about the usual Christian life with its ups and downs, hills and valleys, sunny moments and shadowy ones. We are talking about the training journey of the believer to change into the likeness of the Son, and carry the mandate to its completion. What, then, is the valley of the shadow of death? It represents simply when we feel like dying. And we will do so. Flesh will be challenged, sel sh agendas strongly addressed, egoism and narcissism exposed, and they must die. No death of self, no resurrection of Spirit-life. And David wrote that we should not have fear in that situation. We will not go under, but we will rise from the ashes of the re which has burnt the self. No evil will take advantage of the situation, of a vulnerable moment as the old man decreases and loses its strength, and the new 
man increases but has not reached much strength yet. We will be fully protected. As the Father operates as our surgeon, the room is totally sterilized and virus-free. And when we feel the vulnerability and the nakedness, He will comfort us because we are on the right road. 
Let’s go back to the illustration of the coach of the marathon team. Why should he not provide for a medical team of doctor and nurses, physiotherapists and a mental coach to assist the team in its e orts? 
“You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” 
Not only is there leadership and instruction taking place, not only
will the needed resources be made available, not only will there
be a peaceful atmosphere and a righteous position surpassing all understanding and challenges, not only will there be a protection so the enemy is unable to take advantage of the situation and God will continue to fellowship with us, feed us and strategize with us...but something beyond all that will take place. Something supernatural will ow into our lives which is neither connected to the past or to the present training situation, but to the future and our role, our mandate and assignment, both individual and corporate. David spoke about oil on his head, a cup running over, goodness and mercy following him all the days of his life. It means in all roles, assignments, challenges, situations and circumstances. It means all relationships, including family, personnel and sta , ministers and heads of departments. It also means all international partnerships. It may even mean in times of distress and war, con icts and catastrophes. 
Then we have reached the last verse: 
“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” 
This last verse is not the end. It is the platform for a new development in him and in the nation. It is the strategic base for operating in
his multiple assignments, roles and challenges. That is the table of orientation from which he can look into the national and international landscape with prophetic perspective and God-given understanding and instructions. There is a price to get to that place, and the price is to change into the likeness of the Son. He paid the price for the place, we pay the price to get there. 
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again 
and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” 
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time – houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions – and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are
rst will be last, and the last rst.” Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid.
Mark 10:21-32 
Why were they amazed and afraid? He was their good shepherd. And He led them, instructed them, provided the resources they needed on their journey – He exempli ed Psalm 23 with them. The way He operated with King David, He operated with them. And in the same way, He wants to operate with us. 
But as previously mentioned, I don’t believe David’s text ends at verse 6. It continues in Psalm 24: 
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 
What preoccupied King David’s mind was not being a miserable
sheep caught in an extremely di cult journey. His mind was on God’s purposes for mankind, for planet Earth, and therefore for His House on Earth, a mountain in the Spirit. Why? Because it is in the House that the training, the shaping and sharpening for Kingdom assignments in the society are supposed to take place. His focus was to get to that place, which is what Psalm 23 is all about. Then he was positioned to look “out” into his mandate: the nations of the earth. This location in the Spirit is what David called the “house of the Lord” and that’s the place where he would live forever, a place where everything with heavenly presence, personal life and Kingdom mandate come together. It is
also what he called the “hill of the Lord” and God’s “holy place”. God is in the Outer Court for a certain purpose; He is also to be found in the Holy Place for another purpose and He is in the Holiest Place with His fullness for His plan. 
To in uence the earth, to function in its fullness, to touch the world
in a meaningful and lasting way and to operate upon the seas of the nations – which are people – you must be located on His hill and in His holy place. 
How do we get to this point? Read Psalm 23 and you will nd everything needed to reach it. 
In the Outer Court we experience God’s unconditional love. In the 
Holy Place we experience His enabling grace. And in the Holiest
Place we experience empowerment. From there we experience God’s favor. So love, grace, empowerment and favor are all di erent. Love doesn’t increase or decrease. The rest do because they depend on stewardship.
Daniel turned away from certain things (food and drink); John the Baptist turned away from certain things as well. It is not religious
or legalistic activity, but turning down desirable things in order to receive favor. As they left aside things they desired for themselves, they became desirable in the eyes of God. Being desirable came from acting rightly. They turned away from the desirable in their own eyes. The least in the Kingdom is greater than John the Baptist who is the greatest. Not for pride, but for accountability. Put aside the desirable to increase in favor. All these processes happen in the Holy Place and they qualify us for experiencing favor in our mandate and its practical secular expression in the form of professional assignments. 
This must be a principal issue in our lives and in the Church, an intentional and ongoing focus on God’s leadership and instruction through true fathers. 

The rest is available in the booklet "THE KINGDOM BRAND | THE FEATURES AND RESOURCES". Mail me to purchase a copy...
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THE LEGACY, ITS SONS AND DAUGHTERS

24/8/2017

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Introduction
The Bible is an amazing book and its texts can operate in many different ways on human hearts when the Holy Spirit is orchestrating the process. Some parts contain records of human lives, other parts detail political developments. It entails the everyday life of families, sometimes letters to churches, other times letters to persons. Sometimes it is very doctrinal and quite ‘advanced’, and other times very personal and practical. The stories are about people, their relationship with God and their journey in the Kingdom (or lack of those aspects). 
But it is much more than stories. In biblical narratives people are far from being angelic beings; they are not demigods. And God is not semi-human as in religious myths. Here we meet reality. 
In this passage of a letter from Apostle Paul to his mentee and spiritual son, Timothy, he is very human: 
“I fought the good ght, I nished the race, I kept the faith.” 2 Tim. 4:7 
Paul had reached the end of his life and made a personal statement. Very short and substantial. These words are placed at the end of a letter full of many deep thoughts and guidelines, but we must pay attention to them even though they are few and simple. 
Timothy surely did pay attention. 
Paul’s letters carry a lot of revelation and insight, but occasionally
he freely wrote about himself. He was not teaching, disserting or proclaiming...he was talking. Why is it important? Why did such simple words and considerations nd their way into these weighty documents? The reason is simple: Everything which is heavenly must nd an earthly expression. It does not need to be through spectacular events challenging natural laws like earthquakes, storms, thunder and lightning. It surely can happen that way, but the highest expression 
of Heaven must be in Man and through Man, as Man is God’s highest creation; de nitely higher than manifestations in the nature. What God intends to create, shape and develop in Man goes far beyond and is more breathtaking than thunder and earthquakes. 
Earthly systems (political, social and educational) are created, administrated and developed by Man. Through Man, Heaven can come to Earth and begin to regulate and reform the systems which govern communities and nations. Through Man, Hell can in ltrate Earth and spread darkness and destruction. 
For this reason, the enemy of God and His plan is also the enemy of Man, because Man is intended to become God’s partner. The enemy was looking for Jesus, not primarily as the Son of God, but as the Son of Man...and he did so immediately after His incarnation, His earthly birth. 
Therefore, the writings of Paul about himself are essential, as we are allowed to look into his life and observe how he represented the Kingdom of Heaven in a way that in uences the kingdoms of the earth, and how he established a legacy that perpetuated to the next generations. 
So Paul wrote:
I have fought the good ght. I have nished the race.
I have kept the faith. 
Surprisingly, his own person is at the core of these words. Paul is speaking about himself. Why not about Jesus? Why not about God’s grace? Both are surely there, but only implicitly. The point is that the value of being God’s partner on Earth must be understood, your own value at your workplace, in your neighborhood, at the university, the hospital, in your music band, rugby team or political party, or even in the supermarket. 
These words are not weak words. He is not saying: I survived all the wars.
I just made it over the nish line.
I still believe in God. 
Not at all. His heart is set; his hand is not shaking.
And now the crown of righteousness is waiting for him. There is not a shadow of doubt. 
So, let’s have a look at these three statements, and may God refresh our spirits and enlighten our minds so we can hear His voice and understand the nature and content of His call and its goal. 
First of all, we must understand that the main issue in this statement from the hand of Paul is neither the ght nor the faith, but the race. Therefore, Paul continued and wrote about the crown and the trophy, not the ring where the ght took place, and not about his heroic acts of faith. It is about a mission, an assignment. It all gravitates around the race. 
Some Christians are very ght-focused and others are faith-focused, but most of them are not race-oriented. 
We must be. 
As you read this volume, keep this in mind: the race is the central issue. 
Now let’s get started, and we start with the fight. 

The rest is available in the booklet "THE KINGDOM BRAND | THE LEGACY, SONS AND DAUGHTERS". Mail me to purchase a copy...
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THE KINGDOM BRAND | THE OUTSTANDING GOD, JOURNEY AND RELATIONSHIPS

24/8/2017

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Introduction 
I am both amazed and concerned about what christians are posting in social medias. I am also both amazed and concerned about the content of the messages delivered in churches. Maybe I am exaggerating, but it seems that...
... what is said is absolutely obvious... it is common sense, psychology 101. I have even found out that both Buddha, Confucius and some hindu gurus express the same thoughts.
... this fact speaks loud about what some people need to hear, and what some want to hear. Both personal conclusions are extremely sad. 
Some say that God is coming down on our level. Yes and no. Yes He did when He sent His Son into our world, became 100% Man while He still was 100% God. He lived under the exact same conditions as we and He ful lled His assignment. So he came down on our level once and it was the last time He did. When He did that He raise us up on His level. No more coming down on our. In Christ He came down, but Christ opened the way to rise. From that very moment we meet Him on His level. We ful ll His requirements. We align to His plans and will. We invest in His agenda. Speaking about our level is the sign that we might have received salvation but not understood it. 

God is not a man, He is outstanding. 
The Church is not an organisation, or an association or a cultural house... the church is unusual, divine, extraordinary, supernatural; the Church is outstanding. 
God’s plans are not professional carreers blessed by God... they are supernatural, outstanding.
In this document we will have a look at this “OUTSTANDING” issue:
God is OUTSTANDING.

Therefore what He has prepared for His sons and daughters have the same nature. And consequently... 
... relationships are OUTSTANDING. ... the journey is OUTSTANDING. 

OUTSTANDING GOD Paul wrote to the Corinthians: 
“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s eld, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.” 
1Cor 3,1-10 

Paul wanted to bring their attention to the fact, that God is outstanding in everything He says and does. The problem is that it is difficult if not hopeless for Him to partner with people who are childish and carnal. How can they be His fellow workers? His field, His building? Even His representatives? 
What about praying in the name of Jesus? 
Relating is not an issue. God could dwell among the israelites, look after them, defend them, heal and rescue and forgive them as well as lead them through the wilderness even though they lived under a limited covenant, their hearts were hard and unchanged, their necks were sti which means there was a reluctance and even a resistance to look in the same direction as God. They had their own focus and targets. Oh yes they wanted God, but in their own way.. They wanted His blessings but used them for their own purposes... meaning abuse them. The blessings of God are meant to lead us to the God of the blessings, know Him, honor Him and choose to be led by Him.

In the same letter he wrote: 
“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”
1Cor 4,1-2 
Certain issues must become very clear for us in order to see these dynamics become a workable reality: to be the eld He has cultivated and developed, to be the building He has built and which He will ll 
with His glory and power, to be His fellow workers so they can be involved in changing communities and societies: neighborhoods, workplaces, companies and educational institutions. 

Let me give a statement at this point: 
God gives
Man receives and responds Man administrates
God gives growth 

The rest is available in the booklet "THE KINGDOM BRAND | GOD... THE JOURNEY AND THERELATIONSHIPS". Mail me to purchase a copy... ​
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THE RISE, THE TRAINING AND THE GATHERING OF NOBLES

24/8/2017

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The Kingdom Mandate is about nations.

An attentive reading of the whole Bible will let this dawn on us:
The Earth belongs to its Creator... everything in it, the world (nations, societies and its institutions), and all who live in it.
Man is God's creation and was initially placed in the Eden-region to guard it, to grow it and govern it... this is a prophetic model and pattern.
Man fell and was put out of the region and his initial mandate and function.
Immediately the Father planned for man's full redemption, because the heart was eternally damaged.
Man was meant to be God's representative and influential agent on Earth.

There is no mention about Church... yet. He destroyed the physical temple to build it inside man's heart. Therefore: first things must be first again. When we have a clear understanding of the accurate global frame again, the nature and role of the Church will become clear for us as well. This is the chronology in the Son's words recorded in the 16th chapter of Matthew verses 17 to 19. And it is the chronology today. Unchangeable and non-negotiable.

When God speaks, three major issues are addressed:
1 He speaks about His Earth, its nations and how He will bring them back under the Kingdom,
2 He speaks about His Son and His work to save Man and transform him into His likeness,
3 He speaks about His partnership with Man, and consequently the partnership between His Men, so His will can be done on and with Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Remember: God does not explain Himself, He reveals Himself.

The Kingdom Mandate is built on three elements: God - The Christ Man - The nations.

"His Man" will become important. The bible from God's friend to the electrified words of the His Son -"I will build my church..."- is all about His strategic men and women, their connection and partnership with Him... in spite of hearts of stone, and stiff minds. The 11th chapter of the letter to the Hebrews is much more than a catalogue about the so-called heroes of faith. It is about God's nobles.

I believe that the first five books of the Old Testament together with the five first books of the new Testament are inter-related. In the next few years we will understand what we have neither seen nor understood before. Both record the rise of God's nobles.

God is selecting, calling, forming and training, testing and will ultimately gather the nobles, not the rulers. Why not rulers? Because rulers are children inside! Therefore Jesus warned his men against their mentality.

King Solomon wrote: "Woe to the land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning. Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time for strength and not for drunkenness."

The nobles God is selecting, raising, forming, training and testing do not have power in themselves. But their king will look for them, and he will position them accordingly to their nobility and stature and empower them for the purpose of initiating and monitoring changes in their jurisdiction for the benefit of all.

This is the place where the Kingdom-church comes into the picture. You may call her the Zion-church.
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THE SONG OF THE BOW VS THE SONG OF THE BRAVE

24/8/2017

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King Saul and his son Jonathan... so different beginnings, and so different roads, but both died on a bloody miserable battlefield? And the whole nation went into depression and fled from their towns. A family-tragedy developing into a national drama... but still God was in total control. But let's have a look at this scenario.
1Sam 13 and 14 speaks vividly about these 2 men, father and son. Both were real men, both belonged to the same family, both were true God-believers. Saul was the king of Israel, highly positioned, appointed by God through the greatest prophet in Israel's history, Samuel himself, and he selected 3000 strong men of which 2000 stayed with him and the 1000 stayed with Jonathan his son. What could go wrong? But a lot began to go wrong because something inside king Saul was not in order.
Therefore he was wrongly "located" in God's agenda. The previous chapters bring much insight in his life. Many years later king Salomon wrote: "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." and "Better a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." It is always just a question of time before the inner man catches up with the outer man, before private life catches up with public life. The continuous identity storm inside Saul would ultimately take him out. Samuel had already spoken out loud and clear: "I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away." Clear words, accurate diagnosis. The most foolish thing was to ignore it. He did and they did.

The beginning of Saul's life and career was chaotic in many ways.  Samuel left Saul and went to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul didn't pay attention, he didn't realize what was developing, and he counted his men, 600 in total. He lost prophetic power and protection, tried to compensate the loss by building up human manpower. One man (Samuel) was more important than 600. Therefore it was doomed to fail. But Saul tried. So do people like Saul. Among christians, leaders and pastors.

The beginning of Jonathan was clear and clean. Something rose inside of him, and he stood up in full righteousness together with his armour-bearer. He took a giant step into the supernatural though practical sphere of Kingdom destiny (1Sam 14). His armour-bearer resonated powerfully and accurately; a supernatural dynamic began to operate between them... something his father never really looked for and consequently came close to. The 2 men attacked the Philistines frontally and God came down and backed them up. His father and his best men as well as the priest were having church on the hill, they sang hill-songs and ate fruits, and had great fellowship. But in the valley the destiny of the nation was developing because 2 young men showed explicit obedience to divine legacy. Saul exploded, but after calming down he moved from the coolness of the top of the hill, from the pomegranates and the sweet fellowship of leaders... yes, even the priest was there, so what could be wrong. The bible mentions that Israelites came out of the forests and joined Jonathan. Maybe they were people raised under the leadership of Samuel, who fled the sick and manipulative regime of Saul. Now they were back, because a new regime was emerging.

Things went extremely quick and well until his father interfered. Flesh will always try to show up on the roads of the Spirit. Yes, God gave Israel a victory, but Saul's intervention limited it. Jonathan was shocked, the men were exhausted and Saul was in rage. All flesh inside of him exploded in everybody's faces, even to the point of wanting to get rid of his own son.

Father and son separated; Jonathan  withdrew from the public scene, and there is no mention of him until a shepherd-boy challenged publicly the philistine giant like Jonathan did. Same spirit, same supernatural explosion, same race toward the enemy. Jonathan ran towards the many, David ran towards the big. The big was the sum of the many. And both succeeded. Maybe Jonathan was bored and followed in his father's tent the whole scenario gong nowhere. But I am sure he woke up when he recognised the spirit of David. Saul took David away from his father's house and Jonathan and David connected together. Generational alignment was taking form... Samuel, then David, then Jonathan.

But later Jonathan and David separated, and they wept together. The bible says that "David wept the most". He knew a deep-going and decisive disconnection had just taken place. Covenant relationship had dropped down to become just a friendship. For the second time Jonathan disappeared from the picture. Next time he re-appeared was as a dead man. The bible tells us that the Philistines attacked Israel and chased Saul and his sons. They killed the sons, Jonathan included, and Saul took his own life. Samuel had been right: they didn't change and an evil tsunami swept away the royal family.

Therefore David wrote "The Song of The Bow" recorded in 2Sam 1,19-27, and it says:
"They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions...
How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me."

Two statesmen, two warriors, two commanders-in-chief, both swift, strong and mighty  Two different beginnings, two different minds and spirits, two different paths, two different connectivities. And they met in death. 
Their destinies aborted.

This is one of the most intensive scenarios in the bible and there is no way we can avoid considering its serious and practical instructions. Therefore David ordered that the men of Judah be taught this song (2Sam 1,18). It is about legacy and generational transfer. It is about intentional, accurate and consistent connection.
David will show the way, as the man called "a man after God's heart". Finally after all this chaos, somebody did it well and right. Therefore his life is a primary model for believers in all times... just like Abraham's life is and just like the life of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, also is. Matt 1,1 says: "Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

We need all the eagles and all the lions... the "Song of the Bow"! must be replaced by the song of the brave.

For more about this: get my book (or e-book) "CROSS OVER TO TAKE OVER", both are available.
Keep yourself posted here on my Blog.
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POSTHUMOUS MEMBER OF THE CITY CHURCH ;)

24/8/2017

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Here some quotes which does qualify Søren Kirkegaard for membership in the City Church:

"The truth is a snare: you cannot have it, without being caught. You cannot have the truth in such a way that you catch it, but only in such a way that it catches you."

"Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown."
"The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly."

"The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins."

"Leap of faith – yes, but only after reflection."
"Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament."
"Never cease loving a person, and never give up hope for him, for even the prodigal son who had fallen most low, could still be saved; the bitterest enemy and also he who was your friend could again be your friend; love that has grown cold can kindle."
"To be lost in spiritlessness is the most terrible thing of all."

"In relationship to God one can not involve himself to a certain degree. God is precisely the contradiction to all that is 'to a certain degree'."
"There is something frightful in the fact that the most dangerous thing of all, playing at Christianity, is never included in the list of heresies and schisms."

"The spiritual differs from the religious in being able to endure isolation. The rank of a spiritual person is proportionate to his strength for enduring isolation, whereas we religious people are constantly in need of ‘the others,’ the herd. We religious folks die, or despair, if we are not reassured by being in the assembly, of the same opinion as the congregation, and so on. " 

And there is more to him... awesome man!
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Let the anointing audit the anointed

24/8/2017

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Let us leave the comfortable and polluted beaches of usual Christian life and church, which is basically dishonouring God the Father and the outstanding work of His Son, and resisting the intensive appeals of the Spirit and the Word: "Follow me, and I will make you..." Now obviously somebody is talking: "God, follow me and I will make you my servant!"

In the light of the above statements the Son of God has become an employee located in my earthly residence (my life) and hired to bless me and make sure I am not hurt, and survive in this horrible and evil world without getting dirty and sad, all the while I am on my way to my pink cloud in heaven, where my mansion is located and where my streets are of gold. The muslims might have their virgins, I will have my vineyards and spiritual champaign will flow in abundance.It is about time the anointing (of truth) scan the (so-called) anointed.

The above statements are a sophisticated and hidous abuse of the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 20,18 saying: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve...". This statement does not make him your servant. He served the purposes settled by the Father. Therefore He said: "Here I am... I have come to do your will, O God." (Heb 10,7).

But the creed of the distorted christian religion brainwashes its innocent and naive members and makes them aliens to the Kingdom by words like the ones above:
"When I fall... He catches me. When I am sad... He holds me. When I cry... He wipes my tears. When I am broken… He puts me back together."

It is the usual and absolutely unbearable christian narcissism.

By the way I have been there:
I was brainwashed by such christian thinking but I am not anymore.
I was a member of its club but I left it.
I was stuck into its synagogue but I walked out, my thoughts for the Kingdom were emprisoned but He set them free.
I was a spiritually abused church-member and leader but I am redefined and reconstructed.
I was a son of the system but he made me a son of the Kingdom and an agent of change in the kingdoms of this planet, a voice of hope for liberty.
I had nothing special to give to my descendants, just normal good common sense, healthy human reason and intelligent biblical values but now I have.
I am not on my way to heaven but on my way to the fulfilment of my assignment here on earth.
I am not praying: "Let me come to Heaven, and if not then let my will be done... and please bless me!" but "Let your Kingdom come, let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!"

Let me re-write these narcissistic statements in Kingdom-terms, words for adults, words for people on the way to become who they are supposed to be, and determined to do what they are supposed to do:
"When I fall... He must keep speaking, working and moving, because I will stand up again and follow Him, because I love Him. When I am sad... I will take a cold shower and cool down my emotional storm, and I will dry myself and worship Him all the while He pursues His training sessions to empower me for purposeful work in this world. When I am broken... well, let what can be broken and shaken be broken and shaken, so what can be broken and shaken will spin off, and what can be neither broken nor shaken, will irresistibely progress and become an platform to go higher and deeper."

Oh yes, it is time to grow up!
Go ahead, cross over and don't ever look back.
Even when the storm rages, keep rowing and get to the other side.
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